Corrupted Morals, Corrupted Minds
by Pickelist
Summary: <html><head></head>Not terribly long before the events in Mega man X8, scientists realized that their new generation of reploids had data similar to that of Sigma. As the mass production of said robots was already in full swing, they knew they were unable to prevent Sigma's next attack. They decided that reploids were just too easily corrupted. Thus, they aspired to create the next evolution of man.</html>
1. Chapter 1

_If the generation of incorruptible reploids have all been corrupted, is there any mechanical mind that can't be corrupted?_ _And if there isn't, what do we do now?_

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

"You sure about this?" asked an older man with thick glasses to a massively pregnant young woman.

She seemed determined and unconcerned by his scrutinizing gaze. "Yes, Dr. Cain," she said, slightly annoyed by the question.

"Very well. If this is your decision, we will gladly accept your help." Cain holds up a syringe with a purple colored liquid inside. "If you will, ma'am." She gently raises her shirt. He leans down and injects the liquid into her swollen belly. She yelps but doesn't move to stop him. He smiles at her, "You have made a huge contribution to science and to the future. Thank you ma'am. We'll be in touch." She nods, unsteady and pale, and slowly makes her way out of the room.

**Six months later**

"She's perfectly healthy," a scientist rambled, "Pulse: normal, blood pressure…"

"Yes, George. Thank you," Dr. Cain's voice was strained with annoyance. Cain walked up to the little girl sitting on a large machine, which looked very similar to a reploid's "bed". She smiled at him and held up something that looked like a teddy bear.

"Do you want me to have this?" Cain asked, grinning back. She nodded, and he leaned down to take the teddy bear from her little, shaky hands. No sooner than he had wrapped his hand around the bear, the wall behind him exploded. Cain was thrown against the machine, while the girl reacted immediately, hopping behind the machine. From the corner of his eye, Cain saw the other scientists scrambling to cover. Realizing he wasn't injured, Cain slowly regained his footing and turned toward the flaming mess that was the other half of his lab. In the middle of the mess, there was a giant shadow that stood maybe ten feet tall. The flames made it impossible to make out any colors or specific features, but anyone could tell it was a repoid by the sharp angles of its outline. Cain, however, knew exactly who it was. "Vile," he growled.

"Hello, good doctor," Vile said with smug tone. The tone changed to bored, "We know you have her. Give her to me," Vile himself separated from the large outline and gently floated to the ground. He walked up to Cain and held out his hand expectantly. From a distance, Vile in his armor is terrifying, but up close, Vile himself is just as intimidating. He stood about six foot five and had a large missile launcher slung over his shoulder. He had no face, just a helmet, making anything he said sound hollow.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Cain mustered up his courage. It was obvious that this was the end of the road for him, but he knew that if his newest creation fell into the hands of Vile and Sigma, even X and Zero together would not be able to stop him.

Vile curled his hand into a fist. "Search the room!" he ordered in a steely, angry voice. He pulled back and punched Cain, ripping a hole through his chest, and throwing him across the lab towards the flames. Cain had just enough time to pray for his experiment's survival and safety before his world began to fade to black.

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

"X, it's too late," Zero said sadly. X crouched over the dead body of the man he considered his father. Dr. Light may have created him, but it was Dr. Cain who had found him and activated him. Another, newer hunter named Novum stood a ways away from the pair, allowing them to mourn alone.

As she stood staring at the floor, trying not to think about who could have done this, a whimper caught Novum's ear. Following the sound to the not-so-ruined portion of the lab, she began to sift through some of the rubble. When she came to a large machine, the whimpers got more and more insistent. She stands back and slowly lifts up the end of the machine. Underneath, a baby crawled out from under the machine. Novum slowly set the machine back down and, in amazement, picked up the child. Slowly, remembering how she'd seen humans hold their children and aware of her metal arms, she tipped the baby to the side until she was cradling the child. She looked back toward the others. Zero was staring at her, but didn't seem to want to leave his friend's side. X was oblivious.

Eventually, Zero lightly tapped him on the shoulder. X dejectedly looked over to where Zero was pointing. When X saw the child in Novum's arms, he lept up and trotted over to her, with Zero right behind him. They all examined the child. The kid smiled at her rescuers, but latched onto Zero's arm. At first, Zero grinned back at the little one, but then the little one tightened her grip. Zero yelped and Novum gently made the little girl release Zero's arm.

The metal was severely dented. The three looked at each other in amazement. "This is no ordinary child," X stated, "And I would not be surprised if whoever attacked this place was after her."

"And I wouldn't be surprised if Sigma did this," Zero added, grimly, "If Sigma was after this little girl, she must be incredibly powerful. We need to keep her safe."

"I can raise her." Novum whispered. The other two stared at her. "What?" she asked, "You both know I can take care of myself and I am not called off on missions very often."

"Okay," Zero reluctantly said, "but don't be afraid to contact us if you sense any danger."

"Yes, don't take any risks," X ordered.

Novum nodded happily. "I'll call you Katie," she whispered.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for your suggestions, TheReviewTravele. I had ideas about that, but wasn't sure how exactly to go about it. You gave me a good idea that fixed that problem, so thanks! Thank you, anonymous reviewers (if you're reading this) for all the reviews, and if you are the same anonymous reviewers who reviewed the first chapter, thank you for remembering this story. Hope you all enjoy it!**

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

**14 years later**

"Mom, what are you making?" Katie bounced up the stairs and ran into the kitchen of their home.

"Your lunch," Novum answered, smiling at her adopted daughter.

"You're going to work today," Katie stated unhappily.

"Yes, they need me today." Novum sighed. "You know how important my work is…"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Protecting the city." Katie growled. "But you just end up getting all banged up." She gestured toward a hastily fixed rent in Novum's violet metal arm.

Novum moved to cover the injury. Katie tipped her head to the side like a cat, waiting for a comeback. Novum nervously chuckled under her little one's iron glare, "I won't get hurt today, because I'm going on a mission with Zero."

Katie's eyes lit up immediately at the sound of her idol's name. "You're going with Zero?" Her voice was full of awe.

Novum nodded, "Yes, so you don't have to worry. I'll be fine."

"Okay," Katie grinned, "but you gotta tell me about it when you get back, okay?"

"Of course," Novum grinned. She gave the young girl a little blue box, "Here's your lunch. Don't forget to eat." With that, she smiled and walked out the door.

Katie stared after her, sighing, "Now what will I do?" After Novum had hopped in her vehicle and sped away from their little home, Katie closed the door and secured it, whispering, "Be safe, both of you."

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

**A Few Hours Later**

Katie heard a loud pound on the door. Novum had taught her to be cautious, so Katie slowly crept up the stairs from her room to the entryway, her fluffy tail trailing behind her. There was a small window next to the door, so Katie crawled over to it and peeped out. She glanced at the figure at the door and, realizing it was Novum, quickly let her in. Novum fearfully glanced at Katie's face when the door opened, but that look quickly changed to a look of triumphant. The violet reploid shoved the poor girl inside and slammed the door behind them.

Katie, confused and terrified, whimpered, "Mom, what are you doing?"

Novum answered in a strange, male voice, "Why my dear, mommy is taking you where you belong!"

"Who are you?" Katie hissed, now more angry than scared.

"I am your friend, little one. I can give you power if you wish," Novum held out her hand. When Katie took a step back, Novum lunged forward and grabbed her arm, "I can be your friend, if you cooperate, or I can be your worse nightmare. Is that what you want?" The evil voice said, with a touch of arrogance.

"No," Katie growled back, "I want you to let go!" It was kind of obvious Katie was far from human, with her tail and cat like eyes, but now, Katie flaunted that fact. Her dark brown, almost black, tail swished back and forth behind her. Her light blue eyes reflected light, making them appear to glow. Her catlike ears, usually hidden from view, lifted out of her long brown hair. She grabbed Novum's arm with her free hand, and her retractable claws dug into the metal. Novum blinked in surprise at the change, and Katie ripped at the metal with her claws, making huge rents.

Novum only tightened her grip on Katie's arm and the voice laughed, "Now you see, if you attack me, you're only hurting you mother!" Katie thought she heard muffled voices outside.

She tugged, trying to free her arm. Realizing that wasn't going to happen, she hissed, "Let my mother go."

"Why would I?" The voice laughed.

The door flung open behind them, revealing a familiar red reploid with long, blonde hair. "Give it up, Sigma. We've caught you. Let the girl and the reploid go." Zero said in a dangerous voice.

Sigma, still in Novum's body, turned to face Zero, dragging Katie with him. "Zero," he growled, "don't interfere. I have your little friend and your fellow hunter. I have already won."

Zero drew his saber and stepped up to face Sigma. "Don't count on that," Zero answered.

Sigma threw Katie, who was partially in shock, toward the wall. She recovered quickly though, and twisted so that she hit the wall with her hands and one leg, and she landed one her other leg. Then, she dashed into a nearby room and stuck out her head to watch.

As soon as Katie was out of the way, Zero darted at Novum/Sigma and struck at the maverick's chest with lightning speed, his saber just a green blur. The strike cut Novum's body completely in two. Sigma's voice completely in two.

Zero put away his weapon and looked toward the room that Katie had taken shelter in. She was no longer peeping out through the doorway. He slowly approached that doorway. "Katie? Are you okay?" Zero's voice was calm, but when he stepped around the corner, he saw that Katie had moved to a corner and was shivering. He walked up to her and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Katie, I know you've been through a lot, but are you okay? Are you injured?"

"No, not hurt," Katie's voice shook, "but Novum, she was a maverick. And Sigma's back…" She fainted. Zero sighed and picked her up as easily as if she weighed nothing. He walked back into the entryway, where X had appeared in the doorway.

"I didn't find any other mavericks around." X reported. "Poor Novum," he said sorrowfully, "She had to have been targeted because of her relation to Katie, but how did Sigma find them?" He nodded toward Katie, "She okay?"

"I think so." Zero answered, "But I have no idea how to deal with humans, so it's hard to tell. No idea how Sigma found them. Novum said she was cautious, almost to the point of paranoia, and they live out here in the middle of nowhere." He indicated their surroundings, without another house in sight.

"Oh well, we'll figure that out later. We need to get her back to Base." X said, turning and exiting the house. Zero followed, pausing for a last sorrowful glance at his once fellow hunter.


End file.
